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Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Plainfield, NJ
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is
real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse
of which may be complicated by the presence or
potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George
W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability
Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the
Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The City of Plainfield has been selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. By the time Plainfield
was incorporated as a city in the late 1800s, it was
home to heavy industry and rail transportation. Manu-
facturing operations, machine shops, and fuel and coal
storage facilities were located in the three target areas.
Today these brownfields sites are vacant and
underutilized properties. The per capita income in
Plainfield is 71 percent of the county per capita
income, and unemployment, which rose nearly 50
percent from 2001 to 2002, is significantly higher than
the county and state rates. More than 80 percent of
city residents are minorities. The median income is
lower and the concentration of minority populations is
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Plainfield for two
brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous
substances funds will be used to conduct commu-
nity outreach activities, perform approximately
eight preliminary site assessments and a select
number of site investigations at sites in three
target areas, the Western Industrial Corridor, the
Eastern Industrial Corridor, and the Central
District. These areas have a total of 71 acres of
abandoned manufacturing plants and fuel oil and
coal storage facilities. Petroleum funds will be
used to conduct the same tasks at sites with
potential petroleum contamination.
Contacts
For further information, including specific grant
contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
news and events, and publications and links, visit
the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/
brownfields.
EPA Region 2 Brownfields Team
212-637-4314
http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/
brownfields/
Grant Recipient: City of Plainfield, NJ
908-753-3665
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
higher in the census tracts that make up two of the
targeted redevelopment areas. The target areas
were selected in part because of the excellent
existing infrastructure. Along with the legacy of
brownfields, there is a positive legacy of existing rail
lines, walkable street grids, mixed-use communities,
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-05-075
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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and excellent road access. Assessment of the
brownfields sites will help reduce potential exposure to
contaminants and pave the way for redevelopment,
which is expected to encourage investment in the
target neighborhoods. The jobs and revenues antici-
pated to accompany the redevelopment will revitalize
the communities and bring economic benefit to the city.
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